Running… it’s cheaper than therapy

You have probably heard this saying time and time again and if you are not a runner you may not believe it. But for those of us who log many miles a week whether it’s on the bike or running, it really does help.Recently one of my friends went through a tough time and the first thing I said to him was to go for a run, a walk, or a bike ride. Just get outside, leave your phone at home and disconnect yourself from the world. Going on long runs is one of the ways that I am able to forget about everything going on in my life, and just focus on myself and think. People don’t realize it but running is a great form of therapy.

Photo Credit Chris Hunkeler on Flickr

It helps you get your head right and focused. You leave everything, all the stresses of the everyday life out on the road or sidewalk or trails. When I worked at my horrible job, I would run to de-stress. I would go on 2-hour long runs sometimes when days got that rough. Because for those two hours, I wasn’t thinking about waking up the next day and going to the worst place period. it also helped me escape the holding room I liked to call my apartment. I lived with my best friend and her friend from college (we did not get along). Plus my friend was always at her boyfriends so it left me alone in the place with the other one. So running helped me escape from having to deal with her.

It’s even been proven that physical activity is a great stress reliever because running produces endorphins. Noted in an article by the Mayo Clinic, Endorphins are your brain’s neurotransmitters that produce feelings of well-being and clarity. Running can put you in a good mood and provide you with feeling of self-confidence while reducing anxiety, stress, and depression. Running is also is a great form of meditation. When you are in the moment of the hard effort of running or long distance, is just you and the road. Also known as the runners high.

Photo Credit Pinterest

But you can’t just run one day and stop. you have to keep at it because the more endorphins you create, the happier you become, the more miles you log, the easier you will find it to keep going and keep thinking. If you find it boring, set a goal or find someone to run with. Change your route, run/walk/bike to happy hour or for a cause. Not only will you become happier but you may even get in ridiculously good shape (and that makes everyone happy.)